Libraries' video games are teen magnet

Libraries have supported games since houses of literature in Britain installed tables for cards, chess, dominos and billiards in the 1800s to lure the public away from houses of ill repute.

Libraries have supported games since houses of literature in Britain installed tables for cards, chess, dominos and billiards in the 1800s to lure the public away from houses of ill repute.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii is just the newest addition.

This fall, the Columbus Metropolitan Library plans to connect its branches to a national video-game tournament system for libraries. Eventually, Web cameras might even allow teens to trash-talk and cheer from branch to branch.

Although some parents dislike the idea of video games in libraries, the Columbus Metropolitan Library has spent $40,000 on video-game equipment in the first two years of a program to make teenagers feel more welcome in libraries.

"Gaming is storytelling for teenagers," said Julie Scordato, a teen-services specialist for Columbus' libraries. "You get to mingle, play and talk, and you get to really know them. Then when you suggest a book, they listen."

The American Library Association considers Columbus' system one of the top innovators in electronic amusement and has invited Scordato to join a panel to develop guidelines on how best to use video games in libraries.

The association also plans to study how video games affect literacy and problem-solving skills, using a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation.

Only 6 percent of U.S. libraries had programs that used game consoles from Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft as of April 2007, according to a study by the Library Game Lab of Syracuse University. However, industry experts suspect the number has grown.

Some parents remain skeptical of libraries' providing video games that don't focus on math or reading.

"Reading and entertainment seem to be at odds with each other," said Kevin King, a father of three children in Upper Arlington. "We struggle with the kids wanting more and more game time at home. If they're at the library, that's another distraction."

Video games are becoming so prevalent in the U.S. that the American Medical Association debated calling addiction to video games a mental disorder in 2007.

Still, just one in 10 library patrons finds gaming in the library annoying, according to the Library Game Lab study.

"Libraries have gone through a lot of iterations since 300 B.C., when they were founded as a way to improve moral character," said Scott Nicholson, an associate professor at Syracuse who runs the Library Game Lab. "This is no different from when libraries first brought in fiction or started allowing children in."

The Upper Arlington Public Library bought four hand-held gaming systems this month. The Nintendo DS Lites were checked out for use in the library more than 100 times in the first two weeks, youth-services manager Kate Hastings said.

The library has had to limit its weekly game club meetings to 50 people, and the Westerville Public Library is considering mandating reservations for its popular gaming rooms.

Columbus Metropolitan Library branches make their equipment available only during teen meetings. Scordato said she wants the clubs to provide a safe place for social and cultural literacy, not mindless gaming.

At the Northern Lights branch on Cleveland Avenue, it's quite the production.

Teens arrive early, flipping through books while they wait. Then the lights dim, and in a flash there are crowds around three TVs and a projector screen hooked up to a Nintendo Wii console.

"We actually like this," said Jeramie Summerall, 19. "They need to have it more to keep us out of trouble."

Then, his attention is back on the fighting game Soul Calibur II, and on the girls, one wearing a library T-shirt, who are taunting him about his gaming prowess.